Norwegian 1895 Cilvil Carbine (to Greg)

[Nord]

Have to admit that Greg's carbine made a little crash with the serial number lists...
According to these lists Greg's carbine wasn't made untill 1901!!! ??? :o

OK, the list are actually not 100% sure there, and it's made a question mark behind the serial numbers, so Greg.
Congratulations with an exellent example of the civilian 1895 carbine! :)

Untill now it has been believed that the production number of those carbines for the year 1900 was only 23, your carbine has rewritten history, and the new production number for 1900 is 28!

For some reason the Norwegian cavalery wasn't rearmed when the army adopted the Jarmann rifle in 1884, but kept their Lund-conversions for a number of years.
These had been issued to the cavalery ever since the army adopted the 12,17x44mmR cartridge and the Remington rolling block rifle in 1867, and was still in use even after the 1894 Krag rifle was adopted!
The Army ordnance commission had a special model of the rolling block converted for cavalery and engineer use, and this was in 8x58mmR Danish.
But the 1895 cavalery carbine was just around the corner.
It was mainly based on the M/1894 rifle, but had some special features that was found only on the 1895 carbine.

I'll make a long story short, since your carbine was a civilian model, it has escaped the conversion that was performed in 1906, wich was mainly the installation of an extra ring on the trigger guard to accomodate a more comfortable way for the dragoons to carry the the carbine in the sling.

But being a civilian model, it's impossible to track it in the inventory lists at the different arsenals... :'(

The reason why the civilian model was made could be quite confusing for someone who doesn't know the Norwegian history.
The civillian shooting organzations was actually regarded as a way to prepare people for an armed conflict, and therefore it was the common rule that all organized shooting through DFS should be done with a rifle of a type adopted by the armed forces.

The M/1894 was made in civillian versions, and so was the M/1895 carbine.

What more can I say, ask me if there's anything I've forgotten to mention.

Ah, I saved the best part as a dessert.
Your carbine is more of a collectors item than you actually knew.
The correct numbers of these model ever made isn't 418, but only 338!

Yes I know collectors who would chop of their right arm to get their hands on your carbine, and I've decided not to tell them about it.

Best regards
Nord

[thorsrig]

Nord! Please excuse my lack of a reply until now. I have a bad habit of "growing" kidney stones about every six years or so, and my time came up again last week! Just feeling good today, and your message certainly made me feel even better! I guess the serial number/year of production was set in metal, so to speak! I am pleased to know that I have upset the tables a little! Shooting and marksmanship and preparation for military service must have been very important in Norway in the 1890's. At least it was important enough for someone to have gone to the expense of ordering a civilian version of a government firearm from the National Armory. It used to be the same way here in this country, but many of our old stock values have changed or have been forgotten. It is exciting for me to own this carbine today, even though it is not one of "our" Krags, so to speak. I think that the fellow who owned this back in 1900 was probably quite excited and proud to own it also. He took great care of it, and I hope to extend his care well into this coming century. I would have liked to live in the Norway of 1900. It must have been a very quiet, beautiful, place. Please feel free to share anything you care to about this carbine with those friends of yours who may be collectors. As far as selling it, I would not even begin to know the proper way to get it shipped from this country! So, for now at least, it is safe!!
Greg Topp
Hayward, Wisconsin